So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.... If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:7, 9 (ESV)
Ahhhh... the Door. They’re ‘things’ that can be opened and closed for a variety of reasons. They’re made of a variety of materials. They can be different shapes/sizes/colors. They consist of different mechanisms/hinges depending on its implied functions.
Physically, the refrigerator door keeps the cold air in and the warm air out. You close the door when using the bathroom for privacy. You open the door when your guests arrive to let them inside. You shut the doors of the kid’s messy room or the pantry door to hide clutter.
Doors can also be symbolic: The phrase “Behind closed doors” can be implied for privacy, intimacy, secrecy. The phrase “opening new doors” means showing a way of access or opportunity. The phrase “when one door closes...another one opens” denotes an end, a change and a new beginning.
Either physically or symbolically, the door is a barrier separating two sides.
It wasn’t until our visit to the Ark Encounter, that I really started thinking about how God uses a ‘door’ in the bible to symbolize the division between life and death.
In the book of Genesis, God instructs Noah to build an ark with one door. Noah, his family, and all the animals entered the ark through that one door to be saved from the flood. Inside the ark door, were the people who found favor in the eyes of the Lord; outside the door was the wickedness of the world followed by total destruction. The door kept those whom obeyed God safe.
In Exodus 12:22-23, Moses relays God’s message to the people: to keep their family safe from the last plague in Egypt, He told them to paint the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the doorframes of their homes. Inside the doors were God’s people; outside the doors was death. The blood on the door kept those whom chose to obey God’s word free from harm.
In John 10 (and in the other gospels), Jesus tells the Pharisees that He IS the door- he’s the barrier between life and death. Since death is the penalty for sin, He would willingly die for us because He knew His blood was/is the only blood that could be shed to cover our sins. He knew He was the only way to eternal life.
Just before Jesus’ last breath, the curtain (the door!) of the temple was torn in half- this physical door was removed to symbolize that we are once again allowed to have a personal relationship with God. We were allowed in, we were allowed an eternal life.
When Jesus died, his body was placed in a tomb. The stone door was shut. However, when the stone was moved, opening the tomb- it was discovered Jesus rose from the dead and returned to Heaven. Inside the tomb was death, but now the stone (the door) was no longer holding death in- There was life on the other side.
Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV
Jesus is the ONLY entrance to an eternal life with God. He is our one door to salvation- the door separating eternal life from eternal death. All we have to do is ask for His forgiveness and trust in Him and he’ll let us come inside.
The question is.... what side of the Door are you on?
